Athletes
Mike:
Danielle
:
David
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Laura
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Dana
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Chris
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McG
Shereen
Jimmy
My name's Jimmy Tompkins and I'm 26.
I played football, I wrestled and I played rugby in college. I was always involved in some kind of sport. I thought what I was doing back in the day was pretty good until I started training at Faction.
My old training consisted mostly of your average weightroom workouts plus lots of running which was very monotonous and boring. I feel like my progress is due in large part to the intense and varied WODs (Crossfit workouts) and the nutrition. Learning all about the nutrition... that's helped a lot!
The most fun thing about being here and training at Faction is the atmosphere and for me is that there's always a challenge, a different challenge everyday.
I definitely sleep better at night. I've lost some body fat. I've gained a lot of good lean muscle too!
My nutrition is way better and therefore I think that nutrition plays a lot into my energy. I have a lot better energy when I eat right, it's a good positive side effect.
It was about two weeks before I started seeing some serious progress, some changes in my body composition, and then when I started changing my nutrition and eating more of a paleo diet within a month I could definitely tell some drastic changes.
My next goal training-wise is to start working on my Olympic lifts, it's something that I didn't get to do enough (outside of Faction) so I'd like to take advantage of the good coaching we have here.
Training here at Faction I probably hang out with people I never would have met or taken the time to hangout with... I find that everyone here has a similar mindset and is willing to work hard everyday. And everyone is very positive which is good, lots of positive reinforcement.
I find that my attitude training here at Faction bleeds over outside the gym. I have a better focused more positive attitude leaving the gym than I would have otherwise. It carries over to work, outside of work, there's a lot of good positive people here, a positive influence and I think that improves a lot of people's minds.
Faction's a good place to come if you've never done anything before; there's lots and lots of knowledge that all the coaches here have. If you've never done anything before it's a great place to come and learn proper technique and the right way to do things, it'll probably never get boring, you'll see really good improvements in mind, body and spirit and it's a great community to be a part of.
Sue
Lisa
Anyone that knew me before the 2008, would say, "Lisa? a weightlifter?!?" Even though I have always been active, pitching for the high school softball team, weightlifting was never a part of my regular workout routine. I was one of those girls that would go to the
typical globo gym and waste 30 minutes on a treadmill. Well at least that's what all the magazines called "exercise".
It wasn't until I met Mike Bledsoe and Doug Larson at Faction until my life was changed forever. "Me?!? Lift weights?? NO WAY I don't want to get big!!" That's exactly how I felt when I started Crossfit. "Do these guys really know what they're doing?" I decided to give it a try....and 4 years later my life is truly changed forever.
With the training from Doug and Mike at Faction, I have exceeded many goals and my body has been forever transformed. Crossfit's unique training always kept things interesting for me, and challenged me to reach new goals every time I walked through the door.
I went from never touching weights in my life, to nearly perfecting my form in Olympic weightlifting. I also enjoy powerlifting and have competed in several powerlifting meets, reaching new PR's every time. I am very thankful for the lifestyle change that Crossfit has brought into my life.
Mike McGoldrick "McG"
Hockey player for 10 years, skated for 4 years with the MTSU Blue Raiders. Has been CrossFitting for 3 years and competing for 2. Now trains and coaches out of Faction Strength and Conditioning/CrossFit Memphis. Monica
I came to Faction with long distance running goals. I started in May 2011, with aspirations of running 15 miles by September; in order to compete in a 30 mile ride and tie. A ride and tie is a competition that involves one horse and two people that alternate between running and riding down the trail.
Throughout the summer my coach, Mike Bledsoe, had me learning the Pose method of running in addition to the standard Crossfit workouts. My partner trained with a more traditional approach, which unfortunately resulted in a stress fracture three weeks prior to the competition. Regardless, the weekend of the race I went to Stankey Creek and tested myself.
I ran 15 miles and it did not hurt! Actually, I felt invincible so I kept going another two and a half miles for good measure. Totally obliterating my goal has motivated me unlike anything else. Now, I want to push my limits and with Faction’s support I have no doubt that I can achieve any athletic ambition I chose.
Shepherd
I began my fitness journey in August of 2010 at Faction Strength and Conditioning. After ending my collegiate baseball career at the University of Memphis, I knew I had to find a similar way to stay physically fit that had the same competitive aura I had fallen in love with from my years of playing sports and doing workouts in a team
atmosphere. Crossfit was the answer. Not only did it push me physically, but it pushed the boundaries of the mental limitations I had set for myself.
Faction is not just a gym but a community. If there is one thing I have learned during my time here, it would be that fitness and life in general are both constantly evolving processes, there is no standstill. And, in life, only by taking the time to better those around you can you better yourself. I think that the community here has this in spades. It is a community that will hold you accountable to your goals when others will not. It is a community that will go out of its way to make you the person you want to become.
Shereen
I have been a member of Faction Strength and Conditioning since September of 2010. Prior to Crossfit, I played lacrosse, soccer, and intramural sports in college, and ran long distance until a fateful knee injury during a kickball game.
I joined the fundamentals program in September after 3 months of physical therapy for the knee surgery I had in April 2010. I came to the first class for two reasons; first, I was curious about Crossfit and hungered for challenging physical activity, and second, because I wanted to date the guy who convinced me to come.
Within my first year, I seized the opportunity to participate in the Crossfit Open, and was then invited to compete with the Faction team at the Crossfit Regional competition in Columbus, OH. My competitive spirit got ahold of me, and nearly one year after joining Faction, I competed in the Faction games.
It’s hard to believe that a year before that I had gone as a spectator and left feeling inadequate, weak, and of the mindset that I could never do what those athletes could do. Today, I am accomplishing more in my fitness, diet, and lifestyle than I could have ever imagined. It goes to show that “if we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves [Thomas Edison].”
7740A Trinity Rd., Suite 109, Cordova, TN 38018 - doug@factionsc.com - 901.246.9451